[ male announcer ] get adt installed for just $99. and ask about adt pulse, advanced home management here today. adt. always there. we end as always with "end point." i'm going to let you start, mark, because it's all about cruise ships for me today. >> the most horrifying thing, once we found out this was not a life or death event, it was merely the voyage from hell, when i found out they closed down the bars, haven't they suffered enough? >> compensation better be more than $500. >> if my kids were on the boat i'd probably be swimming out there but i mean they seem to be handling it fairly well, maybe not the best communication but i

think once they get in port we'll see how they handle it. >> you could see why those moms are in hysterics. i would be there or close to that, too. final word from you this morning? >> more to come with the dorner issue. >> the press conference last night was odd and what exactly happened and the cause of death. did he take his own life? was he burned out, was he burned alive? what happened? and very interesting. lots to follow on that. we have to take a break, we'll see you back here tomorrow, "cnn newsroom" with carol costello begins right now. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com breaking overnight, the girlfriend of south african olympian oscar pistorius shot dead in his home. >> a 26-year-old man has been arrested and charged with murder. media reports during the course of the morning often alleged break-in or the young lady was

allegedly mistaken to be a burglar. we're not sure where this report came from. it definitely didn't some from the south african police service. plus squalid, smelly and steamy. >> i promise you none of my family members on there will probably never ever take another cruise. >> reporter: the cruise from hell, known as the carnival "triumph" just hours from docking in alabama, after being stranded in the middle of the gulf of mexico. what are the passengers getting, 500 bucks and this. >> at carnival our promise to our guests is to provide a great vacation experience. also, mega merger, american, u.s. airways now the world's biggest airline. what it means for ticket prices. and top dog. >> the affenpinscher. banana joe. >> the little black pooch packing up his best in show ribbon and a bag of chew toys and heading to wall street. >> joey, banana joe.

>> banana joe ringing the opening bell live this hour. "newsro "newsroom" starts now. good morning, thank you so much for being with me. i'm carol costello. we start with a shocking valentine's day tragedy, the world renowned olympian oscar pistorius has been charged with murder in the death of his girlfriend. his girlfriend model reeva steenkamp only 29 years old found dead at pistorius' home. joining us now is robyn curnow, in south africa. what is the latest, robyn? >> hi there. this much we know. oscar pistorious will be formally charged with murder on friday morning, tomorrow, south african time. he's going to spend the night in jail here after quite a tranlgic set of events today.

what do we know, is that his girlfriend was shot dead, initial ll lly reports suggeste had mistaken her for being an intruder. the police recently come out and said they never said anything of the sort, that's not the line of questioning they're looking at and they've hinted at previous domestic disturbances at his house. either way, this is a tragedy, a 30-year-old model has lost her life and oscar pistorius, no doubt one of the most famous south africans out there spending the night in jail for her murder. >> there are witnesses and there was an interview this morning. >> neighbors? >> we're talking about neighbors that heard things that happened earlier in the evening and when the shooting took place.

>> so you just heard a brief statement there from a police spokesperson speaking to south african media just a few hours ago. what is clear is that there's a lot of confusion at the moment still, carol, about what happened and i think whatever comes out in court tomorrow will sort of illuminate some of the details. what is interesting is that even though oscar pistorius is more than likely to apply for bail the police say they will oppose any bail application. they say they're not giving any reasons. the police obviously believing that they have a strong case against him. >> unbelievable. okay, we'll continue following the story. robyn curnow reporting live from south africa this morning. frantic mothers are pacing a dock in mobile, alabama, where their children are about to return from the so-called cruise from hell. as you can see in the facebook photo, passengers line the rail of the carnival cruise ship "triumph" their only escape from squalid, unimaginable conditions

since a fire knocked out power four days. raw sewage is sloshing around in the hallways, the rooms are sweltering and food lines last for hours. imagine if you had loved ones on board this ship enduring this. >> ten hours, basically after it happened is that they were asking for them to use plastic bags, to use the restrooms in and that they had eaten onion sandwiches for dinner that night, and it's just getting worse. so that was the last time we talked to them, and there's just no telling what the conditions are right now. >> adding to the misery the ship's arrival is running more than three hours late. according to the coast guard, the "triumph" and three tugboats are 60 miles from port. the ship was supposed to dock sometime late this afternoon, now we're thinking recally evening, we're covering the angles from land, sea and air. sarah endo is on a helicopter,

victor blackwell on a boat off dauphin island, chat myers in the weather room. let's begin with victor blackwell. >> reporter: well, carol, the conditions here in mobile bay at about 15 knots which should not be a difficult condition for this cruise ship. the water is a bit choppy but let me show you the map of what's going to happen, over in that direction is the mouth of the bay. you can't see it from here because it's not a straight line path but that's where we're expecting the cruise ship to come in, in a few hours. we just heard radio traffic between the pilot who will guide in "triumph" and "triumph" and they're expecting to come in a little after 12:30 eastern we're going to see them. then it's a 33-mile trek to the port. we know the channel is over in this direction, larger ships have come through this path, cargo ships but this will be the largest cruise ship to dock at this terminal, only by about 40

feet and we know it will be the largest group of people to disembark here, and that's where they will start the process to head home. david mattingly is there at the cruise terminal. >> all right, let's go to david mattingly now, thank you so much. i wish we could spot that cruise ship which would mean it's a lot closer to shore but no. david mattingly, once the ship docks, what will happen? >> reporter: well, that's when things are going to start moving pretty quickly for the people on board. they've got a system here where they're going to come off the gangway you see mind behind me, down, processed through and reyou nighted with their luggage and then go to buses. the customers here have a couple of choices. they can meet up with family members if they're here, they can meet them here and go on their own way or get on a bus, go to a hotel that's been provided for them, and you can bet there's a lot of people

there in bad need of a hot shower right now, but they also have the option of going all the way back to galveston, texas, where a lot of people have their cars parked where they originally got on the boat there. they can go all the way back and get their car and go home tonight. they have those options. so that's what they're going to be looking at when they get here. they're trying to make things move quick, get them moving pretty quickly here because they've got custom officials on board the ship to start processing people so that by the time the boat does stop and they do get off, that they can get on their way just as quickly as possible. >> i hope so. david mattingly reporting live from mobile, alabama, we'll get back to. let's go up in the air, sandra endo is in a helicopter flying over that cruise ship. do you see it down below, sandra? >> reporter: not yet, carol. as you were mentioning it's farther south than anticipated. officials say it's nearly 60 nautical miles south from the

port, and initially they were anticipating this cruise ship to actually dock -- later this evening. we've been flying south of dauphin island trying to get the first glimpse of this ship but clearly it is too far south, too far away from the mouth of the port of mobile -- >> i suspected that might happen. so we're having a little problem, hard to get a live shot from the air sometimes. let's head to the weather center and talk about what sandra was talking about, chad, why that ship is moving farther away from shore. >> weather. you know how long it takes to you get from new york to california, like 4:45, and only takes you 3:15 to get back. how did that just happen? how did the jet stream bother this airplane so much? well the wind has bothered this boat tremendously. we've had offshore winds 20 to 25 miles per hour all night long and thunderstorms. yesterday about this time this boat was only 80 miles from where it is right now. in 24 hours this boat only made

80 miles of headway because of the wind blowing it back toward the ocean. as hard as this tug pulled, it's only 5,000 horsepower. the "triumph" has 46,000 horsepowers worth of engine. so the engine is not enough in this tug to pull it very fast. it's going to go here between dauphin island and ft. morgan, going to come up the mobile channel and this is going to be the dreadful part for these people. it's only going to go three or four miles per hour for about 30 miles. they'll be able to see land for ten hours and not be able to get off. >> that's like torture. >> yes, all night long it was raining, rain on top of them so the people that were on the deck thinking they had a good spot not good because it was raining, that rain also had some winds pushing the boat a little bit off course, crazy weather out there. >> i don't know how they're surviving this. i can't even imagine. >> i'm going on a cruise next saturday on carnival. >> you're still going? >> so far. >> you're still -- if i were

your wife i'd say chad, we're staying home, honey. okay, stick around. >> i'll be having that conversation tomorrow. >> i knew it, i knew it. thank you, chad. >> you're welcome. new information this morning about the pope. vatican officials are confirming pope benedict hit his head during a trip to mexico last march but deny the fall had anything to do with his health or recently announced resignation. on this valentine's day, same-sex marriage could be a step closer to reality in illinois. the senate expected to pass a bill allowing same-sex marriage. the measure needs the aful proof the state house and the governor. if that happens, illinois would become the tenth state to legalize same-sex marriage. it was the sip heard around the country, some groups are trying to capitalize on marco rubio's drink of water during his state of the union response. for a $25 donation, marco rubio's super pack is sending people a rubio water bottle. the quote "send those liberal

detractors a message not only does marco rubio inspire you, he hydrates you, too." hmm. then there's this facebook photo by the makers of the bottled water rubio drank, poland springs showing the famous bottle of water in front of a dressing room mirror after its cameo. it's a star now. an asteroid half the length of a football field is supposed to fly by the earth tomorrow. it will pass within 17,000 miles of the earth, a distance that could be cleared in just about 15 minutes. don't get too worried. nasa says the odds of the asteroid hitting the earth are quite low. a big announcement in the business world this morning, u.s. airways and american airlines merging. the new mega carrier will use the american name and be the largest airline in the world. alison kosik is tracking the story and of course all we care about is how this will flekt ticket prices. >> reporter: i hear you. that's what we're all thinking about. we're not going to necessarily see the ticket prices spike when

you go to make your airline ticket tomorrow or the next day because mergers don't necessarily cause these spikes in airline fares. historically you look, fares don't go up because mergers happen. in fact, when you adjust these fares for inflation, they've actually been falling, even though it doesn't feel like it. fares have been falling since the 1980s. i want to you listen to travel expert mark murphy. here are some of the benefits of this merger. >> this merger will provide the traveler with better connections. i think you're going to be in nine major hubs between the two carriers now the merger, so you're going to be able to get where you want to go more efficiently and effectively. >> reporter: i want to show you something, there isn't a lot of overlap, that when these airlines merge a lot of the places where you fly into are really going to remain where they are so there's nine major hubs you see others, once again not a lot of overlap and not a lot of worry at this point about not enough flights being available. that could also not affect

prices as well. keep in mind there are a few headaches with this. this kind of merger, carol, doesn't happen overnight so as consumers, you could see a few headaches like reservation problems, logistical headaches, lost baggage. for the airline industry this was inevitable and many experts say this is something good for the industry, even though it does lessen competition there. >> alison kosik thanks so much. i know you're waiting the big winner of the westminster dog show to ring the opening bell. >> reporter: yes. >> you'll have an exclusive interview with banana joe. >> reporter: i do. we'll see what he barks to me. >> he speaks four languages you know. >> reporter: i know, i'll have to brush up. >> alison kosik, we can't wait. thank you so much. coming up next in "the newsroom" we'll take you to california, it's difficult to understand why ex-cop christopher dorner went on that bizarre killing spree. we talk to his girlfriend, next. [ nurse ] i'm a hospice nurse. britta olsen is my patient.

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drug smuggling tunnel. it ran from the front yard of a home in mexico to a parking lot in arizona. police seized 1,200 pounds of marijuana and arrested two men. new government information shows use of the morning after pill is on the rise. from 2006 to 2010, 11% of sexually active women between the ages of 15 and 44 said they had used the emergency contraception, more than double the reported use from 2002. the study did not cite a reason for the increase. some good news for the housing market, foreclosure filings last month plunged to their lowest level since april of 2007. filings fell to just more than 150,000 in january, primarily because of a new california law that protects homeowners. foreclosures in that state fell by 62%. miss america coming home to atlantic city, new jersey. las vegas hosted the pageant since 2006 but next year the ceremony will return to its original home in new jersey. normal announcement is expected

next hour at lentic city's boardwalk hall, the birth place of the original miss america pageant. new details today from the ex-girlfriend of the man who killed four people including two police officers during a week-long vendetta. aria williams told cnn's "starting point" knowing christopher dorner the way she did, she wasn't surprised about i his killing rampage. >> i sort of expected it. i can't tell you this would never happen. you see signs of someone's behavior in the manner that sort of like stress-induced type behavior also, i think coupled with maybe how their personality already is, i think it makes it easier to understand why something like this could possibly happen. >> connie rice is a civil rights attorney in los angeles. we'll talk to her about the ramifications of dorner's death and the investigation by the lapd. we begin with nick valencia. he's been following the

investigation in big bear lake, california. nick, when will authorities be reasonably 100% sure the body in the burned out cabin is christopher dorner's? >> reporter: carol it could potentially take days before authorities are able to officially confirm whether or not that was kris dorner's body pulled out of the cabin. they'll use dna testing, dental records. if there's any indication, the manhunt is over and things are back to relative normalcy. where we're standing here is where the first command post was for the san bernardino police department, less than 100 yards from the cabin where chris dorner tied up a couple and stole their car. it's not the one with the two balconies but the one with two balconies behind there. chris dorner could have been hiding behind the noses of the

sheriff's department. carol? >> nick valencia reporting live from big bear lake, california. let's go to connie rice. connie, welcome. thank you for joining us. >> you're welcome. >> you've been involved in lawsuits against the los angeles police department. the lapd has said it will be transparent throughout this investigation. do you trust them? >> well it's not a matter of trusting. it's a matter of working with them to make sure a secondary investigation happens. i've sued them for a long time but ever since chief bratton has been here i also have been helping them to make this transition from the old lapd to the new lapd. >> what do you mean by a secondary investigation? >> well, when chief beck, the current chief of police of the los angeles police department stepped up and said we're going to take a look at the allegations because we need to know whether our old system of

kind of deep sixing whistleblowers in lapd had an impact on what happened to mr. dorner. we need to know. we need to know whether lapd's internal affairs system has changed from the old days or do we need to still do some work. i would think we still need to do some work. >> so essentially the lapd is reopening the case of i guess against christopher dorner as to the reasons he was fired. will they make their findings public, one way or the other? >> one way or the other, and i think that on this record we may not be able to find out what actually happened now, but i think it's important for lapd to stand up and acknowledge the old culture where african-american officers and other officers who weren't wanted were often deep-sixed, they were sabotaged and deep sixed and the public needs to know that that's no

longer the lapd way and that's what chief beck wants to see. was there a situation in this, when he was fired, when dorner was fired, was he fired for good reasons or was the old system of snuffing out whistleblowers at work here and was there a miscarriage of justice done when he was fired? either way it's not about dorner. it's about the integrity of the lapd's investigation systems. >> my next question what about the lapd finds out the investigation into dorner wasn't handled quite right. how do you calm things down in certain communities within los angeles? >> i wouldn't worry about calming things down. the community is going to react the way it does. what's important here is for lapd to acknowledge what's happened inside of it, and is lapd really beyond the old ways

of deep sixing investigations about misconduct? if you were a whistleblower reporting misconduct against a civilian, which is what dorner is supposed to have done here, you never made your complaint. you do not report superiors for abusing a civilian, so what happened here? lapd needs to know. it's not about dorner. it's about whether we can think lapd is beyond its old ways of deep sixing whistle-blowers. >> connie rice, thank you so much for sharing your views with us today. we appreciate it. the predator drone, is it the new american hero? that's our talk back question. [ woman ] ring. ring. progresso. i just served my mother-in-law your chicken noodle soup but she loved it so much... i told her it was homemade. everyone tells a little white lie now and then. but now she wants my recipe [ clears his throat ] [ softly ] she's right behind me isn't she? [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup.

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now is your chance to talk back on the question of the morning, is drone warfare worthy of a medal for heroism? the drone. remote controlled killing machine. now a hero? eligible for a distinguished warfare medal? that medal will outrank the bronze star, which is awarded for heroic acts performed under fire in physical combat.

>> the work that they do, the contribution that they make does contribute to the success of combat operations particularly when they remove the enemy from the field of battle. >> okay, so the operators or pilots of these unmanned drones will get the medal. still what a strange time to suggest such an honor. the drone program remains controversial. republican senator rand paul says he'll block the nomination of the cia director to find out if one of those so-called hero drones can take out an american on u.s. soil. >> what i want to hear from john brennan before i agree to let his nomination go forward is that, no, the cia or the department of defense cannot kill someone in america without you know any kind of judicial proceeding. >> drones did take out anwar al

awlaki, the terrorist who inspired the underwear bomber in detroit. still a distinguished medal of honor for war? is drone warfare worthy of a medal for heroism? facebook.com/carolcnn or tweet me @carolcnn. [ woman ] my boyfriend and i were going on vacation, so i used my citi thankyou card to pick up some accessories. a new belt. some nylons. and what girl wouldn't need new shoes? and with all the points i've been earning, i was able to get us a flight to our favorite climbing spot

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good morning to you. i'm carol costello. thank you so much for being with us. stories we're watching right now in the "newsroom" at 31 past the hour. banana joe ran the opening bell on wall street. the affenpinscher won the westminster dog show and ringing the opening bell is a tradition for best in show winners. banana joe will be live with our own alison kosik in a few minutes. i can't wait. 401(k) balances have hit a record high, fidelity investment

says the average balance at the end of last year was 77,300. that's up nearly 12% from 2011. two-thirds of that increase due to a strong stock market, the rest attributed to higher paycheck contributions. after five sewage-filled days at seas, the carnival "triumph" will dock sometime tonight. it's 66 miles from mobile, alabama, where many family members gathered to greet friends and relatives rapid on what one doctor calls a floating petri dish. "triumph" is expected to now dock around 7:00 tonight. i think i already said that. political buzz is your rapidfire look at the best political topics of the day, three topics, 30 seconds. playing with us roland martin, cnn political analyst. >> hey! >> hi! >> and cnn contributor and analyst for the blaze, will cain. hello, will. >> hello. >> okay, first question the

drone a remote controlled killing machine now a hero? outgoing defense secretary leon panetta wants to honor the people who operate unmanned aircraft. >> i'm pleased to announce that i formally approved the establishment of a new distinguished warfare medal that provides department-wide recognition for the extraordinary achievements that directly impact on combat operations but that do not involve acts of valor or physical risk that combat entails. >> keep in mind the drone medal could outrank the bronze star which is awarded for specific heroic acts performed under fire in combat. the question s drone warfare worthy of a medal of vor, roland? >> you're sitting in an air conditioned room and a joy stick and sort of playing a video game, if you will. it's life and death.

there's no way in the world that should outrank somebody who exhibits heroism on the battlefield. that to me is crazy. i understand if you want to give an award, a citation but there's no comparison between the two, it should not outrank the bronze star. >> will? >> there's the issue, right, should it outrank the bronze star. we should acknowledge the changing nature of warfare, the technological aspects that are changing, yes these guys should have some acknowledgment for the service they're performing. should it outrank the bronze star? you asked should it be an award for valor, it's not an award for valor. it's distinguished from that. it just outranks the bronze star which is a medal for valor, defined as extraordinary acts of heroism while engaged in direct combat with the enemy, posing yourself to personal risk. that's tough, zero, that's how many days i've served in the military. i imagine roland might be the same so zero is going to come with it. >> serious risk? >> we have to move on to topic

two. >> here's the drone right here. >> we'll talk more about this in the next hour of "newsroom." frustration over sequestration. president obama on the road to push his agenda. he'll be in georgia later today. kind of a shame he's not in d.c. pushing congress to come up with a budget deal. >> he is taking to the road for the next few days in basically what i would call campaign mode. he seems to always stay in a campaign mode where he treats people of the other party as the enemy and not as partners. if he really wanted to get things done and govern, he would come here and work with us instead of campaigning all around the country. >> yes, if there's no budget deal by march 1st, massive cuts to defense, medicare and more. question, should the president skip the road trip and take a trip to capitol hill? will? >> yes. it's a little special, right, isn't it just a little special that the president, not only agreed to this but proposed this idea back in the budget control act of 2011.

the idea of sequestration. it was supposed to be a painful idea for republicans they would never let it happen and then just what two months ago the president got the tax increases he thought would avert some of this and republicans would never let these spending cuts come in but they're going to let it happen so it's a little special president obama is campaigning essentially against the thing he proposed, the thing he agreed to. he got his half of the deal in the special tax increases but now wants to avoid the spending cuts. >> roland? >> oh, please, of course -- how about doing both? you can actually go on a road trip and still talk to capitol hill and last night's check, congress, they can actually, they have to pass the bill first. so why don't they get to work? why can't boehner get with pelosi. why can't mcconnell get with reid? that's their job, okay? and also, remember the special committee, that is democrats and republicans, they were supposed to come together to avoid the sequester? they couldn't even come to an agreement, so i would say to

congressman paul ryan, stop whining and complaining, tell your house members and senate members to do their job. >> you know they're going to kick the can down the road. >> of course, that's the problem. >> question three, finally on the day that cupid is flying through the air, slinging his arrows of love we have this question. who are the most unlikely political valentine's. i'd like to go first, house minority leader nancy pelosi and pretty much any republican out there. will? >> well, i'm going to pick piers morgan, the guy on a few hours from now, and wayne lapierre, the president of the national rifle association because the past couple months, we've had a gun control debate where, look, i'm going to tell you something, piers does not have the facts, the substance and the intellect on his side, so he's villainized specifically wayne lapierre, turned into the villain of the

gun control debate. happy valentine's day, sweethearts. >> ooh, roland! >> okay, hold on a second, hold on. okay, i'm ready. all right. i would say congressman steve stockman of texas and congresswoman maxine waters of california, okay? those two, what happened to maxine waters' photo? what happened? >> there it is. it's there. >> you have crazy steve stockman if you want to read the funny pages read his press releases. he's a guy invited ted nugent to the state of the union and i'm sure congressman waters would just smack him aside the head with roses all day long. >> i saw her talking to ted nugent at the state of the union. there is photographic proof of that, roland martin. >> no, that was congressman sheila jackson lee. >> darn! it was taken from the back! >> don't get women of congress mixed up, carol. >> oh, i think i have to go on that point. will cain and roland martin thanks so much >> cheers. >> cheers -- get out of here.

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welcome to moscow. ♪ >> jack! >> dad? >> okay, i'm awake now. maybe hard for bruce wilise to die but expensive. according to "usa today" in one scene of "a good day to die hard" filmmakers destroyed 132 cars. the total cost $11 million. another 518 cars were damaged, and what says "die hard" like bruce wility itlis in chocolat? this statue comes complete with an assault weapon in his hand, made for the japanese premiere of the film.

in the meantime, kim kardashian and kanye west are at the center of a tsa investigation after they skipped security before a flight to los angeles. sh "showbiz tonight's" a.j. hammer has the skoo. . >> while kim and kanye may be in the middle of the story it doesn't appear they have done anything wrong perhaps other than having bad judgment. they don't appear to be the focus of any kind of investigation but yeah there was a breach of security involving the celebrity couple as they were transferring flights at jfk airport in new york, they reportedly arrived from brazil changing flights to go back to los angeles. here is what the tsa is saying, an airline employee escorted the two travelers through a non-public area in order to provide expedited access to their domestic flight. in doing so the airline employee violated security calls by permitting the travelers to bypass the tsa security checkpoint. tsa officials learned of the violation and conducted a private screening of the two

passengers in the area of the jetway. you would have hoped they or their own security would have known better than to accept what appears to be preferential treatment at the airport. they were flying on american airlines. american released a statement blaming a lapse in judgment by an employee who apparently escorted the stars and in the end the flight was delayed to l.a. for 50 minutes according to the tsa which at jfk not that unusual and here, carol, i think we all believe kim and kanye flew nothing but private jetsevery where with all that money. >> i know exactly. why didn't they just stand in the security line and wait like everybody else? >> as i said, who knows when they were approached, who knows who made the decision, okay, this is a good idea. i was speaking with a guy who handles security for high-profile people this morning and he said, we would always make sure we did everything so there wasn't even the suggestion of impropriety. you want to make sure dealing with the tsa and at the airport that you don't look like anything is going wrong, so i

don't know who made this decision on the part of kim and kanye, if it wasn't them, themselves, but a bad decision. >> a.j. hammer, thanks so much. >> you got it. wall street's top dog, banana joe, takes his westminster win all the way to the trading floor. the best in show winner joins us live next. sfx: horn. ding. ding. how long have i had my car insurance? i don't know. eight, ten years.

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4 pins past the hour. president obama heading to georgia to a preschool in just a few hours, he's expected to speak out about the need for early education like head start. school visit by the president might be a thrill for some but maybe not for students who have been asked to come back from winter break so they can surround the president while he chats. the national being called in to help bridgeport, connecticut, to help out with the massive snowstorm. only 265 of the town's 900 streets have been cleared so far. 15 years after harry potter first hit book shelves he's getting a maker. scholastic releasing new book covers to mark the occasion. you can see harry with his friend hagren and trusty al headwig. they're part of a box set that goes on sale in september. a sea turt until japan is happily swimming with a new pair of front limbs.

biologists believe he lost his front flippers in a shark attack and spent four years building a replacement pair. the turtle didn't but the biologist zz, they fit over the turtle with a cloth suit. talk back question, is drone warfare worthy of a medal for heroism? actually your response is next, we'll be right back. it's a phoenix with 4 wheels. it's a hawk with night vision goggles. it's marching to the beat of a different drum. and where beauty meets brains. it's big ideas with smaller footprints. and knowing there's always more in the world to see. it's the all-new lincoln mkz. so if ydead battery,t tire, need a tow or lock your keys in the car, geico's emergency roadside assistance is there 24/7.

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methicillin. talk back question today is drone warfare worthy of a medal for heroism? this from peter. no the title is based on bravery, how can a drone be brave or the operator thousands of miles away in a safely -- or the operator thousands of miles away in safety considered brave? this from charlie, the men who spend hours piloting these drones are absolutely worthy of recognition for their service, but not a medal which would outrank the bronze star. this from daryn. absolutely not. if that's the case i deserve a medal for all the terrorists i've killed playing video games. this from bill. hey people, it's not about courage, it's about getting the bad guy. this interest steve, how about they get bronze stars on their foreheads for bravely pressing on even in the face of carpal tunnel syndrome. facebook.com/ca daum slsh facebook.com/carolcnn. or tweet me @carolcnn.

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[ girl ]rumental ]ous varieties when i started playing soccer, i wasn't so good. [ barks ] so me and sadie started practicing. we practiced a lot. now i've got some moves! [ crowd cheering ] spin kick! whoo-hoo! [ giggling ] [ announcer ] we know how important your dog is to your whole family. so help keep him strong and healthy with purina dog chow. because you're not just a family. you're a dog family. holmqvist,. a lot of people probably think they're the top dog on wall street, but oh, we have the top dog on wall street today. take a look. fresh off his win at the westminster dog show the 5-year-old affenpinscher banana joe rang today's bell on wall street. alison kosik, oh. >> i'm taking him home with me. >> oops. >> he's not going to jump out of my arms. i'll take him home, i tell you.

banana joe rang the opening bell here at the new york stock exchange. i am with arness so, banana joe's handler. how exciting was it compared to winning the top dog title. >> it's hard to tell. both things are most exciting. that's where he goes. this was just awesome, really. >> the affenpinscher, the kind of dog that this is, that's what banana joe is. it says that one of the attributes of the affenpinscher is a big dog trapped in a small body. i can relate to that. tiny but mighty. is that what this dog is all about? >> it's all about that. he has some power, really, really mighty dog with a lot of charisma. just presents happiness wherever he goes. that's the special thing he has he's really good with people, he's sitting in my arms, his heart is beegtsz so fast. this dog feels so soft. >> he's happy to be around all these people. he loves the attention. >> so what happens now?

does this dog retire? does he go off into sort of the land of retirement and get all the doggy bones he want shs. >> that's for sure. he's going to lead a quiet life and just be a normal dog. >> a normal dog. what is a normal dog for a westminster dog show winner? >> basically that's what he leaves and goes in between shows. he's just a normal dog, a wonderful house dog, great companion, just very healthy minded dog. >> it's been my honor to hold banana joe. i'll throw it back to you. look the other way, because i'm going to run away with the dog. >> i don't blame you. thanks to all of you, and congratulations, banana joe. >> okay. on to sports now, thank you, alison kosik. when you're a professional golfer you can't let anything get in the way of your dream, especially a black widow spider. one woman goes macgyver to finish the round using a golf tee to dig out the ven nonso she could finish the round. our own banana joe, joe carter.

>> glad i wasn't bumped by banana joe. daniela holmqvist and she felt a sharp pain in her ankle. she looked down and she saw that it was a black widow spider. her leg began to swell. the pain became severe. rather than quit the round and go to the hospital, she used a golf tee in her bag to cut open the wound and squeeze out the ven venom. not only did she survive because of this lucky golf tee, she actually finished the round and unfortunately she did not make the cut in the tournament, so it would all end there. she's a rookie with, obviously, a lot to look forward to in her pga tour. dukes head coach mike krzyzewski got what he was asking for on his 66th birthday, a win over his rival north carolina. they hung with second rank duke for most of the game until curry and plumlee got hot in the final minutes. duke won by five points. the blue devils have won six straight, beat north carolina six of the last eight times.

a boxer has been suspended for allegedly taking a dive 13 seconds into the fight. look at your video. check out the upper cut. misses the guy on the left by like a foot. his name is nick turbo tax capes. this guy sells it. literally knocks himself off his own feet. reports say turbo tax was a last-minute replacement for a couple no-show boxers. the fight's promoter says capes got into the ring, got scared when he looked at his opponent who is ray edwards, a former nfl player turned heavyweight fighter and he was like, not having any of this. i'm going to take a dive. for all your entertaining sports news, go to bleacherreport.com. all he was trying to do was be a substitute boxer. he gets in and looks at the guy and says no, not going to do it. >> incredible. thank you, joe carter. the next hour of "cnn newsroom" starts now. . happening now in the newsroom, an olympic hero

accused of murder. >> we can confirm there was a shooting at the home of the well-known paralympic athlete oscar pistorius. at this stage we can confirm that a young woman did die on the scene of gunshot wounds. the blade runner in custody, his model girlfriend shot dead. carnival's "triumph" limps into shore with thousands of angry, tired, hungry, grimy passengers. >> i promise you, none of my family members that are on there will probably ever, ever take another cruise. >> we're covering "triumph's" return by air, land and sea. and we're not sure what this is. they call it the chocolate bruce willis. it's our valentine's day gift to you. "newsroom" starts now. and good morning, thank you so much for being with me. i'm carol costello. we begin with a shocking valentine's day tragedy.

world-renowned olympic track star oscar pistorius has been charged with murder in the death of his girlfriend, that would be model reeva steenkamp. she's 29 years old. she was found dead of a gunshot wound at pistorius's south african mansion this morning. pistorius, seen here, hiding his face outside of a south african police station. he will not be named an official suspect until he makes his first court appearance tomorrow morning. >> anything you can't do? >> yeah. i mean, i think there are a couple things i'm a bit scared of. i'm terribly scared of heights. >> he was one of the most inspirational men in the olympics and arguably the most famous disabled athlete in the world. now police are saying oscar pistorius was the only person found at his home after a shooting took place. and his girlfriend was found dead. >> at this stage we can confirm that a young woman, a 30-year-old woman, did die on the scene of gunshot wounds. >> reporter: that woman has been identified as model reeva

steenkamp. some news reports claimed it was a case of mistaken identity, maybe a valentine's day surprise gone wrong. but those reports baffled police. >> we have also taken cogeny zans of the media reports during the course of the morning of an alleged break-in or that the young lady was allegedly mistaken to be a burglar. obviously our forensic investigation is still ongoing. we're not sure where this report came from. >> reporter: it appears steenkamp was looking forward to valentine's day. she asked her followers on twitter yesterday, what do you have up your sleeve for love tomorrow? get excited. reports say the model and the athlete have only been dating a few months. pistorius' spokeswoman says he's, quote, assisting the police with their investigation but there will be no further comment until matters become clearer later today. authorities say this isn't the first time there's been a problem at pistorius' house. >> but i can confirm there has previously been incident at the home of mr. oscar pistorius. of allegations of domestic

nature. >> reporter: police said a pistol was found at the scene. in an interview from last january, pistorius told a "new york times" reporter about one incident when, quote, a security alarm in the house had gone off and he had grabbed his gun and tip towed downstairs. it turned out to be nothing. of course, south africa has a high crime rate, but police say pistorius lives in an upscale, gated community with a low crime rate. pistorius has never won an olympic medal but he has set records in the paralympics. of course we'll keep you updated as any more information comes in to us. imagine, being trapped five hellish days on a cruise ship with overflowing sewage only to be told your relief is being pushed back even farther because right now that carnival ship "triumph" is less than 60 miles from docking in mobile, alabama. the current keeps pushing it farther out to sea, though. for the 4200 people on board, that, of course, is delaying arrival, which is expected about

ten hours from now. here's what they're dealing with. since a fire knocked out power on sunday, passengers say raw sewage has sloshed around the hallways. their rooms are sweltering and food lines stretch for hours. imagine if your loved ones had to endure all of that. >> ten hours basically after it happened, is that they were asking for them to use plastic bags to use the rest rooms in and that they had eaten onion sandwiches for dinner that night. it's just getting worse. so that was the last time we talked to them, and there's just no telling what the conditions are right now. >> let me assure you that no one here from carnival is happy about the conditions on board the ship. and we, obviously, are very, very sorry about what is taking place. there is no question that conditions on board the ship are very challenging. >> very challenging conditions on board that ship. chad myers, i think that might

be the understatement of the year. >> i want to know why there's so many onions on the cruise ship. >> yeah. >> i don't get that. onion sandwiches that's what they're subsisting on now. >> heres what else is going on. there's been a north wind trying to push it back out to sea. you have to understand how large this cruise ship is. it's 116 feet wide, 12 stories high. even if the wind is blowing directly on the pohe bow, that huge sail area. this wind coming out of the north, trying to push the boat 20 miles per hour back bewards and a small one for a very long time tugboat trying to tug it back into shore. so the winds really did overcome what this boat was trying to do. let me make this a lot bigger for you so you can see where it is. there's the "triumph" right there. the winds have been trying it to blow it out this way. under the power for a while only 5,000 horsepower. "triumph" by itself has 46,000 horsepower to move it on a regular day. so ten times less power than it has on a regular day.

it will move it right through this cut, that cut between fort morgan and there's dauphin island, right through the mobile channel. this is a very long tow. we're talking 30 miles at three to four miles. ten hours those people will be able to see land and not get off, carol. >> that's just -- i just feel for them. >> i know. >> and you said the most agonizing part is they're going to approach shore very, very slowly. so how long will it -- once they get, what, a couple miles out, how long will it take them to actually reach shore. >> 1234>> here's what's going t happen. they're going to bring a couple tugboats to this ship. they only have a 300 yard winl to get this through. they're going to put a tug on the front, couple on the back and two on the sides to literally kind of angle this thing straight up the canal, up the channel. you don't want this thing grounding on the one side or the other because of the wind blowing it back and forth. that's when we'll start to see the pictures, even sandra endo,

because of some low ceilings, can't get that helicopter high enough to get pictures, at least last hour, to send them back to mobile where our truck is waiting for those pictures from the helicopter. >> unbelievable. chad myers, thanks so much. so, a lot of people are wondering, how in the world could this have happened? so we want to explore that issue a little bit. stuart cherron, ceo of the cruiseguide.com, joins us from miami. hi, stuart. >> good morning, carol. >> good morning. i know maritime laws prevented the u.s. coast guard from rescuing this passengers. why doesn't the cruise industry have a better plan to get people off the ship? >> well, i mean, let's take a look at the plan. i mean, this is a mechanical ship. carnival actually has actually done a very good job. they've been forthcoming with the information. moving the ship to mobile, alleviated logistical nightmares for these passengers because 900 passengers on board the ship did not have valid -- did not have their passports with them which

would have created immigration snafr if yous in mexico and in the united states and it would have taken several more days to repatriate the passengers and the crew back to the united states. so getting into mobile certainly made a whole lot more sense than sticking them into mexico. >> you're telling me this is the best carnival could have done? >> well, i mean, what else would people like to have done? i mean they've had three ships help reprovision the ship with food and supplies and tons of food and supplies that have replenished the ship. they're out in in the ocean. it's not like they have transporter room they can get on board the star ship enterprise and get people on and off. it would have created more of a challenge where passengers would have been risking injury in getting them off the ship. >> when you have stories of sewage running down the walls, it seems that they really don't have their act together in the case of an emergency like this when a cruise ship is literally

stranded out at sea for a number of days? >> carol, we're -- i also deal with the vocal minority and not the silent majority. you know, i'm not there, we're not there. we're hearing from a few people describing what they're seeing, but we're also hearing from people that are saying it's not that bad. carnival staff has really done a great job for us on board the ship. there is still -- there is some power on board the ship. there are elevators. there are working toilet toilet. is it the best situation what they wanted? no. carnival has came out immediately came out and apologized, taken ownership of the problem and doing everything humanly possible to get these people off that ship in a timely manner and mobile was their best option at this point. >> all right. stewart chirron, ceo of cruiseguide.com. thank you so much. on to politics now. the full senate is expected to vote on the hagel nomination for defense secretary this week, but a new push from republicans could mean trouble for the

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possible gop filibuster on chuck hagel, the president's choice for defense secretary. chief congressional correspondent dana bash has more for you. >> reporter: chuck hagel's opponents are not going down without a fight. >> am i supposed to sit on the sidelines and be a good, compliant republican and just let this administration not account for what i think is a national security breakdown of monumental proportions? >> reporter: from day one, lindsey graham was a leading critic of hagel for his past positions on everything from iraq to israel. now graham and others are threatening to block hagel for defense secretary, using him as leverage on a completely different issue. they want to know if the president called libyan officials the night of september's benghazi attack to ask for help for americans eventually killed. >> how do you respond to critics who are saying that you're just moving the goal post? first it's about hagel's past and what he said. >> i'm going to take every

opportunity. i'm not denying it. >> you are moving the goal post? >> no. i'm going to hit you and keep hitting you, absolutely. you're in the going to get with not answering basic questions. >> reporter: john mccain, who said he would not go along with the hagel filibuster is reversing course saying he, too, wants answers about benghazi before letting hagel go through. >> it's the first time in the history of our country that a presidential nominee for secretary of defense has been filibustered. what a shame. >> reporter: all this a day after the armed services committee approved hagel's nomination amid biting accusations. >> have you been paid by a foreign government. >> reporter: republican ted cruz demanding to know if hagel accepted money for speeches. >> it is a minimum relevant to know if that $200,000 that he deposited in his bank account came directly from saudi arabia, came directly from north korea. i have no evidence to suggest

that it is or isn't >> reporter: democrats lit into cruz. >> senator cruz has gone over the line. he basically has impugned the patriotism of the nominee. >> reporter: even mccain, opposed to hagel's nomination, says cruz went too far. >> senator hagel is an honorable man. he has served his country, and no one on this committee at any time should impugn his character or integrity. >> reporter: senate armed services committee carl levin expects the white house to answer graham and mccain on the question of the president and benghazi but administration officials say they're not so sure, they're still deliberating on whether to do that. what all this means is a nomination the white house always knew was going to be bumpy but thought would get through is now uncertain. dana bash, cnn, capitol hill. an asteroid about half the size of a football field set to zip past earth tomorrow. how close will it get? we'll tell you.

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maybe we did learn a thing or two about saving during the great recession. a new report out today shows that 401(k) balances have hit a record high. the average account balance was $77,300 at the end of last year. alison kosik is at the new york stock exchange. good morning. >> good morning, carol. so it turns out according to fidelity that the gains we're seeing in our 401(k)s from stocks are responsible for two-thirds of the increase that we're seeing in our 401(k)s. the rest comes from workers who are upping their contributions. yeah, good for us. on average, people with fidelity 401(k) plans put away 8% of their annual salaries, 82% of those people also get matching contributions from their employer and maybe the best news of all, as of june of last year, 94% of 401(k)s of people who had their 401(k)s, they have a higher account balance now compared to what they had before the financial crisis. so yes, we have learned our lesson, at least for now. carol? >> makes me so happy. thank you so much, alison kosik, reporting live from the new york

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an asteroid about half the length of a football field is supposed to fly by the earth tomorrow. it will pass within 17,000 miles. the question is, will we be able to see it and could it possibly pass closer to us? chad myers is here to give us all the answers to those questions. good morning. >> good morning, carol. people are worried about this big rock flying through our atmosphere. it's not going to get down anywhere near, you know, felix was jumping out of his balloon. this is 17,000 miles away. now if you're watching on dish or direct tv your satellite is 22,000 miles away. so yes, there are some earth satellites here around the ring. the moon is far away. the moon is ten times farther

away than what this thing is going to fly through our geosynchro nis earth orbit. is there a chance of it hitting something? yes. is there a chance that i win megaball? it's a better than chance than if it hit something. if you take this sphere, which is 22,000 miles around plus the diameter of the earth you have billions of square miles of surface area on this sphere. billions of square miles. all of a sudden you take a rock and you fly it through there, there's only 400 things that it can hit on those billions of square miles. it's likely not going to hit anything. have you ever heard of a meteor hitting an airplane? no. so this is the idea. you have a rock going through a small spot with very few little specs to hit. likely not going to hit anything. jpl has talked to us and said this is just not going to. the chance isn't zero but the chance of you getting hit by lightning or winning megaball is much higher. >> you've made it so much less

exciting. >> i'm sorry. that's my job. i don't want to be the fear amonger. >> that's a good thing. will it mess up my cell service or anything like that? >> it should not do anything. this would have to make a direct hit. it's just a rock flying by. it's not going to explode, it's not going to be anything. these things fly by, we talked to jpl. something the size of a basketball flies through the same area once a day. something the size of a prius flies through it about once or twice every week. so things fly through these satellite belts and never hit it. the fact that this is a little bit bigger has a larger chance but only by the size that it is. >> thank you, chad. >> you're welcome, carol. >> i feel completely safe thanks to you. >> good to see you. >> so good to have you back. come back more often. >> i will. we'll take a break and we'll be back with more. [ nyquil bottle ] you know i relieve coughs, sneezing, fevers...

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welcome to our new half hour show, "talk back" three hot topics, great guests and your comments. first stop, how should the

cruise passengers be compensated? four days of agony, of onion sandwi sandwiches, sewage running down the walls and it's hot, so hot, passengers are being forced to sleep on deck. we're talking about the carnival ship "triumph." the trauma is not over yet. delayed again, expected to pull into port between 7:30 and 8:00 tonight. here's what carnival is offering its stranded passengers. discounts on future cruises. yeah, right. a full refund. get this, $500. the mother of a 10-year-old passenger livid. >> i cannot imagine that the horror that they have had to deal with, with no food, lines to go to the bathroom, seeing urine and feces sloshing in the hall, sleeping on the floor, nothing to eat, people fighting over food, $500? >> carnival's ceo says his company obviously didn't deliver on its promise and that would be to provide a great vacation

experience. we second that. so the talk back question today, how should cruise passengers be compensated? facebook.com/carolcnn or tweet me @carolcnn. pose that question first to pete dom min nick. >> i'm no lawyer, carol, but i would imagine there's going to be some kind of a class-action lawsuit. these things happen in america we're a very lit tinge gus society and people will want more than a free cruise or picture of a family on the deck. i don't want to minimize the pain and suffering and i have never had to live through anything like this but no one died. it was a horrific experience but welcome -- these people were, you know, seen with the rest of the third world now has to experience and i'm sure they're going to be compensated and get a little bit more than $500, but do we want to put this company out of business? >> could lesson and pay attention to others less fortunate because of this experience? >> that's what it was for me when my power went out after the hurricane. i had to stand in line for ice.

it was a little humiliating but it was a lesson. i take lessons out of everything in life even the most adverse situations. >> okay. seriously? >> all of our other panelists are looking incredulous. amy? >> really? i just think it's ridiculous. and then they closed down all the bars. they're making them suffer even more. >> i didn't know that. i didn't know that. >> yeah. and -- but the thing is, from my understanding this isn't the first time this ship has had this problem. they need to take care of these people. it would be a good pr move for them. but, you know, they need to -- they're going to have to have counseling, i'm sure it was so traumatic for many of them, they should cover medical costs, free cruises for life because most of them will probably never go on another cruise. and, you know, but at the end of the day i think pete's probably right, it's going to end up in the courts. >> it says on your ticket, ana, you can't sue them for these reasons. they can't sue. i mean they could try. but i don't think they'll have any luck with that. >> it says a lot of things on those tickets.

you sign away your life when you buy a cruise ship ticket. i would say to them, keep your refunds, keep your discounts, keep your cruises for life, give me some money. i want a staycation or go on a vacation where there is an exit strategy. my recommendation to these people is go somewhere where you are in control, not when somebody else is in control. but it's also -- let me tell you, carol, i'll tell you what i think is agony. talking about this issue anymore. hearing about this issue anymore. every time i hear about this ship i want to reach for a bottle of lysol and start wiping everything i own. it is really a -- it's painful for the people in the ship, but it is painful for the people outside that ship having to listen to this. i'm thinking carnival will have to give all of us something. >> the other thing, roland, carnival says they'll finally get to shore some time around 8:00 eastern tonight. and just talk about agony. and then when the passengers come ashore, carnival is offering them a bus ride to new

orleans, which is like a two-hour drive. it's crazy. >> okay. i have two words, royal caribbean. i'm sure they are saying, hey, please take our -- take our cruise because we don't break down. look, if you're carnival, the biggest problem that you have here is that you're compounding the problem. if you're walking down hallways sloshing through water and feces and then they have fights over food, folks sleeping on deck, now you're talking about sunburns, look, pete, i get you on this whole deal with power goes out, i'm born and raised in houston, i've lived through hurricanes, tornadoes, but when you're talking about day after day, you can't do anything, this is a vacation for many people. let's be honest, at lot of americans out there, don't have much money, got one shot, so if you're carnival you say full refund, and we are giving you extra money and we're giving you a free cruise. >> they are.

by the way, roland just got a free cruise from -- roland got a free cruise from royal caribbean, congratulations. >> first of all, i'm already a royal caribbean platinum member. watch yourself. >> you wanted to say something? >> $500? are you kidding me. that is nothing. $500 wouldn't even begin to cover the costs of psychiatric treatment for those that are going to need it. i'm sure some will need it. >> have them call pete. >> $500 is nothing. >> come on, guys. psychiatric treatment? it's not like they're on a train headed to trib lin ka. they're on a cruise ship and going to make it back. nobody is dying. let's not overdramatize this thing. >> we all don't live in miami. that's why. >> palm trees. >> one of our facebook friends saying about this topic? how should the cruise passengers be compensated. this from matthew, the ceo should give up his salary for the year and have the money split among the passengers. if that's not enough, cut the whole board's pay. this from brian, $25,000 per

passenger. there are 4,000 passengers. plus a free ten-day vacation that does not include a cruise. keep the conversation going, facebook.com/carolcnn or tweet me @carolcnn. next question, engaging in a violent crime and then posting it on-line for all the world to see. talk back question, should there be penalties for posting violent videos? [ anouncer ] ihop is in time square to compare new griddle-melts to your usual breakfast sandwich. a lot more flavor. [ anouncer ] ihop's new griddle melts... made fresh and hot! hand crafted just for you. it's like a sexy sandwich. [ anouncer ] compare new griddle melts yourself. just $4.99. it's an epic breakfast sandwich.

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on to our second talk back question, should there be penalties for posting violent videos? take a look. this video disturbing as it is, has sparked a lot of buzz on-line. >> right now. take everything off. >> chill out. >> knock him out. >> moving too slow, man. >> owe me money. >> it shows a new jersey man forced to strip naked, sprayed with water and whipped with a belt over a $20 debt. the video was posted on a hip-hop site. seriously? tell me, what is hip about this? >> this is not who we are. we are newark, new jersey. we do not tolerate this level of cruelty, of callous disregard for the dignity of humanity. >> yet, some might argue this video actually says a lot about who we are. it is as one local councilman

says, a documentation of our dysfunction. talk back question, should there be penalties for posting violent videos on-line? here to talk back, cnn political analyst roland martin, sirius radio host and comedian pete, funny guy, cnn republican strategist ana navarro and tea party chairwoman amy cremor. does this video say something about who we are in america, ana? >> yeah. it says there are some pretty stupid people in america. i don't think it says anything about america in general. certainly it is not symbolic of americans. it's not symbolic of american values. it's not symbolic of, you know, the values that we all share the american dream. none of that. are there stupid people in america? sure there are. are there mean people? sure there are. are there sick people? sure there are. but, you know, it's not symbolic of our entire society. i just don't accept that. >> but someone could just -- >> yes, it is. >> go ahead, roland. >> yes, it is.

how can we -- >> i don't know -- >> how can we stand here talk about that we have the freedom in this country to express ourselves any way possible, we can write things, we can post things, without censoring these things. they're stupid, it's crazy but what makes us unique is we can do this. plus this is a nation that has created all kind of individual shows, "america's funny videos," all shows out there using videos. things along those lines, that's what we do. here's a great thing, we can now arrest the people because we actually have a thing called evidence. >> right. >> but -- >> i agree with roland. i mean it is about our first amendment right. in news clips about wartorn areas going on. i mean social media has changed

our lives. changed our lives. we just saw israel when they launched rockets, you know, across the border, we knew about it on twitter before anything else. it has changed our lives. but people shouldn't get in trouble for posting this. >> but still -- but still, i would just interject that if you post this awful thing instead of turning it over to the police, that's some -- that does say something vile about you, doesn't it, pete? >> no. >> it does. certainly ana is right, it doesn't represent the best of us. it represents the worst of us. i would argue we have a much more violent culture especially with the amount of wealth we have in this country but speaks to the issue of gang and gang violence and poverty in this country as well. we should as a society denounce that type of practice, posting that type of videos, and that type of behavior. god forbid it got so popular it could create ad revenue. it's not video games. they're not real. it's not america's funniest home videos not even jackass, they

were doing that for themselves. this is violence. it's also evidence and this is illegal. violence is illegal and these guys are stupid to have posted it because they're going to go to jail. there might be an issue for prosecutors to look into a cyber crime issue and maybe we should have more laws against that. i'm always in defense of spree speech, especially the speech for which i hate. >> can i say one thing, carol? i think other than you, i think i'm the only journalist on the panel, journalist 21 years, we're in the business of television, of video. how many times have we -- how many times have we run video, look at the rodney king video, had we not seen that. look at other video that the gentleman that was run over by a truck in mississippi, based upon security cameras. what i'm saying is we have other examples where you have seen criminal activity take place in videos and without the video, we would not know anything about it. >> well -- but here's what i'm saying, though. here's what i'm saying, if i'm taking video of these people

stripping this man naked, and then beating him, and then i say, oh this is such cool video, i'm going to post it on-line, i think there shed be some sort of penalty for that. >> i agree with you, carol. what's important is the intent. some of these instances that roland cited, it's true, having the stuff come out, was helpful to the prosecution, was used as evidence, and it was the purpose of putting it out. >> it also didn't tell the whole story, right? >> this is a freedom -- it was a private website. it's a freedom of speech issue, carol. >> there is not absolute freedom -- >> that's what i'm saying. >> you can't scream fire in a theater. you can't post, for example -- >> when you film yourself -- >> you can't -- you can't -- >> wait. one at a time, ana? >> let me tell you something, it's illegal, for example, to film yourself having intercourse with a minor and post it. that would be illegal and -- >> it's illegal to film yourself -- right.

those people go to jail. >> there's no absolute right. >> committed a crime. >> one at a time. >> the question is, should we be able to post it? it's illegal to commit a crime. if you are an accessory and you are filming that crime, whether it be a rape -- >> there you go. >> or assault like this, you're going to go to jail. law enforcement by the way appreciates it when you film your own crimes. >> amy, wanted to say something? >> yeah. no, i mean it is used as evidence and, you know, but i think that we should be able to post things and, you know, i mean who's going to come in and start monitoring everything on social media? i mean, the internet police? i don't want to go there. but it does show that there are stupid and mean people. you remember the girls fighting and the parents watching and -- i mean it's horrible, but i don't think you can paint all of our society that way because it's simply not true. we do see worse things on tv. >> okay. what do our facebook friends say? well the talk back question again, should there be penalties for posting violent videos? this from steven, no.

post them so we know and then we can go find the perpetrators and bring them to justice. if these idiots didn't post they would most likely not be going to jail. this from kelsey, it's disgusting how mean and cruel people are. this crap shouldn't be posted anywhere for people to see and people shouldn't be sick enough to videotape it or even to do these things. keep the conversation going. facebook.com/carolcnn or tweet me @carolcnn. next question after a break, a remote controlled machine, a drone, turned war hero? talk back is drone warfare worthy of a medal for heroism?

time talk back question of the day. is drone warfare worthy of a medal for heroism? the drone, a remote controlled killing machine, now a hero? eligible for a distinguished warfare medal? that medal will outrank the bronze star which is awarded for heroic acts performed under fire in physical combat. >> the work that they do, the contribution they make, does contribute to the success of combat operations, particularly when they remove the enemy from the field of battle. >> okay. so the operators or the pilots of these unmanned drones will

get the medal. still, what a strange time to suggest such an honor. the drone program is controversial. republican senator rands paul says he'll block the nomination of the cia director to find out if one of those so-called hero drones can take out an american on u.s. soil. >> what i want to hear from john brennan before i agree to let his nomination go forward is that no, a cia or the department of defense, cannot kill someone in america without, you know, any kind of judicial proceeding. >> yes, drones did take out anwar al awlaki, the terrorist that inspired the underwear bomber over detroit. still military analysts tell me, although the military does have medals for both achievement and valor, there is no need for this new medal. drones are simply new weapons available for use. talk back question for you, is drone warfare worthy of a medal for heroism? i will direct the first response

to amy. >> carol, i say no. that's absolutely ridiculous. it's like you said, you know, these medals are for distinguished service and no reason that the people that are controlling these drones that are sitting in air conditioned rooms should get these medals for anything heroic because they're not risking life and limb for this country. they're sitting in an air conditioned room controlling them. so no, that's absolutely ridiculous. it should -- those medals should be saved for our true heros. >> and ana, why introduce this idea right now? i mean because drones are pretty controversial at the moment. >> well, because they like controversy apparently, you know. if you take a look at some of the nominations that they've put up, take a look at some of the memos that have been leaked in the last few days, i think controversy is something they seek. i'll tell you this, carol, i would sure like a drone to come over to my house and take care of the raccoon that's been ruining my landscaping.

look, we absolutely cannot compare, you know, people that lose life, lose limb, risk life, save others on the field, to a drone. that being said, drones are important. i have no issue with drones and i think that if they can help, they're part of modern warfare. sometimes it's difficult for us to assimilate the progress in modern warfare and the different things that get introduced, but you know, i think we're going to get used to it. we're living in a horrible, brave new world, where very bad things happen. if they can help save lives, great. >> but we don't even know -- it's not clear to me who decides who to kill if they're a terrorist overseas with a drone. that's not clear to me. it seems like impossible for me to believe that some medal might be awarded to a program where there's no transparency. roland? >> yeah. well look, i mean first of all, we should have opened this segment with a song "joystick" because that's what you have. you have somebody sitting in a room with a joystick deciding,

okay, should i press the button? cool, i'll press the button. so when you talk about skill, when you talk about training or whatever, i mean you can say as part of it -- i will say this. i disagree with amy. these folks are a part of our military. i do believe that you can provide some type of recognition for their work, but there's no way in the world -- >> not a medal. >> hold on. there's no way -- fine. a certificate, whatever. but there's no way in the world you should be able to have this medal be over a bronze star when you talk about heroism out there in the battlefield where you are risking your life and extraordinary work. there's no comparison. i think the joint chiefs of staff, the president, should say, secretary panetta, we appreciate this, we're going to alter this suggestion, not put it above a bronze star. >> pete, go ahead. >> you know, carol, cnn does a great program called "cnn heros" and in this country and in the world i think we generally award

heroism to ordinary people who do extraordinary things. not to mention, obviously, first responders like firefighters. but nurses, hospice workers, teachers, social workers, these are people who do heroic things every day. i have a lot of friends who play a lot of video games. you might as well start pinning medals on their chests. that's what this is. there is some danger for these drone pilot because if their names were publicly revealed they could be targeted by al qaeda and other militants. but they really are sitting in a room playing a individual game, often takes lives and often times those are women and children. you didn't mention an kwar al awlaki was an american, and the predator killed his 16-year-old son, also killed by a predator drone. this is a very controversial practice. some could argue it's states sponsored terrorism. some could argue it's a great national security technique. we do know it's very controversial across the political spectrum. i can't believe i agree with rand paul but i absolutely do. you know, these guys when they

get done playing video games they go home to their families and have dinner. >> a part of me says, wouldn't it be great if we could just -- if we had to fight in a war, that we would just use military hardware to fight the war in remote locations and there would be no men and women on the actual physical battlefield. >> we're doing it. >> we are moving forward that day. >> pakistan and yemen and in somalia, those dreenones, we ar doing that all the time as we speak. >> one thing -- talk to the drone people out there. hey, i love you, so just keep those away from my house. just, you know, just letting you all know. >> that might be impossible. >> what do our facebook -- we have to wrap this up and get in our facebook friends because i always like to get what they think. i'll ask the question again, is drone war fair war this of a medal for heroism? i believe the medal should be ranked number ten or something. it shouldn't surpass medals that recognize people that sacrifice

their lives. if a drone gets shot down, oh, well, send another drone. drone warfare helps but medals are not needed. keep the conversation going, facebook.com/carolcnn, tweet me @carolcnn. top stories after a quick break. i'm up next, but now i'm singing the heartburn blues. hold on, prilosec isn't for fast relief. cue up alka-seltzer. it stops heartburn fast. ♪ oh what a relief it is!

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